Thursday, September 11, 2014

I Scream for Ice Cream

People often ask me what Food I have missed the most since developing several food allergies, and while there are certainly lots of foods I miss, ice cream is probably the biggest! Throughout the past few years I have tried quite a few "alternative ice creams" and they have varied from awful to amazing: and I want to share what I've learned...

Cherry berry,frozen yogurt is HUGE right now and I for one hate being the person who when asked by friends to go out for a treat is like "fro-yo!? Great, I'll just chill in the corner and awkwardly watch you eat, or else risk a nasty allergic reaction..." That tends to be a bit of a buzz kill. However Cherry Berry offers a dairy-free frozen strawberry-lemonade that is super good. The down side is it still has plenty of sugar which I also have a sensitivity too. While it's not as creamy as actual fro-yo it is still delicious and it means I can go out with my friends, so that is a win!Clemmy's is probably the closest I've tasted to real ice cream and is gluten free, lactose free and sugar free. It uses Xilitol as a sweetener though, --- which can be a laxative in large amounts, but I've never had a problem with it and it is better for you than some of the other alternative sweeteners. The down side is that it is only sold in certain stores and is lactose free, not dairy free so it still contains casein. However, it has tons of flavors and is a nice treat for those who are just lactose free.

So-delicious is one of the overall best, and easiest to find. It is made with coconut milk or soy milk, and has a nice creamy texture. It comes in several flavors, but the chocolate is my favorite.

Another treat that is more common, is LIFEWAY frozen Kefir. Like most regular Kefir it is 99% lactose free and has more of a frozen yogurt taste. It can be bought at most groceries stores. I adore it have been known to eat most of (or all) of a pint in one sitting. The only not so good one I will list is Arctic Zero, it is supposedly lactose and sugar free, but tastes like frozen sawdust with chemicals. I would not recommend it.

Last but not least is my personal favorite, Coconut Bliss. As the name suggests it is made with coconut milk and uses agave as it's sweetener. Also, even it's flavors like chocolate walnut brownie are gluten free! It is usually only found at health food stores like small co-ops or whole foods, and is a little more pricey than many other allergy friendly frozen treats, but boy is it good! There are lots of great flavors and and it is worth the splurge!

Hopefully this helps!

* All images are taken from product websites, and do not belong to me.
http://www.clemmysicecream.com/pints/coffee
http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/?gclid=CPHSl-fP2cACFQypaQodhKwANw
http://coconutbliss.com/coconut-bliss-products/chocolate-hazelnut-fudge